A Bilton woman has criticised the system Harrogate Borough Council uses to allocate housing.

Courtney Barrass has been on the waiting list for a council property since her private landlord gave her notice to leave in April.

Ms Barrass has a partner, an eight-week old daughter and dogs and believes her domestic situation may have counted against her.

She claimed she was aware of some single parents who had received a house much quicker and urged the council to “prioritise situations better”. She said:

“They really need to sit back and look at the system. Maybe take the single people out of their three-bed houses to open up more options for families.

“I’m worried I’m going to be homeless. They don’t care about mental health or how situations will or already have affected us. We are just numbers on paperwork and it’s sickening.”

Ms Barrass alleged that when she first approached the council about going on its housing list a council worker told her that if she were evicted it would push her up the queue.

She stopped working while she was pregnant and she and her partner struggled to pay all their bills, so they didn’t pay any rent — only to then be told they were in rent arrears by the landlord and given notice to leave.

Because it did not have a home to move the family into, the council initially paid 75 per cent of the rent but this reduced to about 40 per cent when her baby arrived, she said.

The damp in Courtney’s flat in Bilton.

Ms Barrass said her landlord had been understanding about her situation but she didn’t know how long it would last, or how long she could wait for a council house.

“The council’s only interest seems to be trying to get me to stay in this house, which is full of damp and I cannot afford it.

“How many more times will I have to contact them and panic not knowing if I’ll get my rent paid next month? It’s a joke.”

Read more:

• Coronavirus has contributed to an uncertain economic climate, this could lead HBC to buy more social housing. 
• An FOI has concluded Harrogate currently has over 1,000 empty homes. 

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said it was unable to offer a specific comment about Ms Barrass’ situation. The spokesperson added:

“Properties are allocated via a points system, reflecting housing need. Applicants with arrears may be deemed as not qualifying for social housing, or may be deferred for period of time.

“We urge anyone who finds themselves in challenging circumstances to contact our housing options team as soon as possible. Anyone who finds themselves at risk of losing their home altogether should contact us sooner rather than later.”

This week, a judge at the High Court in London will decide whether Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to choose Green Hammerton and Cattal ahead of Flaxby for a major expansion of housing in the district was unlawful.

If the ruling goes against the council, it could mean the decision has to be made again.

It is a saga that has rumbled on for years with many twists and turns. Below is a timeline of events so far.

August 2003: North Yorkshire County Council sells land at Green Hammerton to farmer Derek Pickles. When the council sold the land, there was a covenant attached that said if planning permission were granted within 30 years for any other use of the site, a “clawback” would apply. This would result in NYCC receiving 70% of the uplift in the land’s open market value.

2008: Farming family the Armstrongs sells Flaxby golf course to the Skelwith Group for £7m, which then publishes plans for a 300-bedroom five-star hotel on the site. The golf course and hotel would be called Flaxby Country Resort and is touted as the “jewel in Yorkshire’s tourism crown” and even a future host of the Ryder Cup.

March 2010: Harrogate Borough Council grants planning permission for the hotel but building work never begins. Despite this, 158 buy-to-let rooms in the hotel are sold to investors.

An artist’s impression of the doomed Flaxby hotel.

May 2014: The government rejects Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan for the district, after years of preparation. The council begins the process of identifying more sites for housing.

November 2014: Skelwith Group abandons plans to build a hotel and draws up new proposals to develop Flaxby into a new town of up to 2,500 homes.

March 2015: The golf course closes.

January 2016: Skelwith goes into liquidation. A report from administrators RSM Restructuring says the company owed almost £70m, including £51m to HMRC and £7m to former owners the Armstrong family.

April 2016: Flaxby Park Ltd, a company made up of businesswoman Ann Gloag and regeneration specialists Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner, purchases the 260-acre golf course site from administrators. Their new proposals include 2,750 homes and a rail link at Goldsborough.

Summer 2016: HBC launches a “call for sites” where landowners can put forward sites that could potentially fit a new settlement. Both Flaxby Park Ltd and CEG Group propose separate developments at Flaxby and Green Hammerton.

November 2016: HBC’s draft Local Plan identifies two locations for a new settlement: Flaxby and Green Hammerton/Cattal.

April 2017: CEG Group publishes a “vision document” for 3,000 homes at Green Hammerton.

A CGI image from the CEG proposal at Green Hammerton.

July, August, September 2017: A consultation is held where CEG’s Great Hammerton plans are presented as the preferred option over Flaxby Park.

November 2017: Flaxby Park Ltd submits a planning application for the 2,750-home development to HBC.

December 2017: At a full council meeting, councillors agree to submit the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate, including Green Hammerton as the area for the new settlement.

January and February 2018: HBC holds a public consultation on this decision. Campaigners in Green Hammerton deliver more than 600 objections against it.

Campaigners deliver Green Hammerton objections to HBC.

June 2018: CEG Group formally submits its plans to HBC for Green Hammerton.

August 2018: Harrogate Council submits its Local Plan for independent examination.

February 2019: Oakgate Group, part of Wetherby-based property developers Caddick, submits plans for a rival proposal called “Maltkiln Village” at Cattal.

The “Maltkiln Village” proposal around Cattal railway station.

March 2020:  HBC adopts its new Local Plan with Green Hammerton/Cattal identified as the location for a new settlement.

October 7, 2020: HBC agrees to press ahead with a consultation on 3,000 new homes at Green Hammerton/Cattal. Its “preferred option” is land around Cattal rail station.

October 13, 2020: HBC’s planning committee rejects the 2,750-home Flaxby development. The other two applications – by CEG and Oakgate Group – are yet to be decided by the committee.

October 27, 28 and 29, 2020: The High Court judicial review will take place on the Flaxby decision.

The Stray Ferret will be covering the Judicial Review this week at the High Court. Check our website for the latest updates, or subscribe to our newsletter to get a daily round-up direct to your inbox.

A community project which has provided thousands of meals to vulnerable families this year is hoping to spread extra cheer at Christmas.

Resurrected Bites has received almost 3,000 calls for help since lockdown began in March, delivering three days’ worth of food, toiletries and cleaning products to the equivalent of 4,528 adults and 2,807 children – though many of these are returning customers.

Yet this was never what the community interest company was set up to be. It was a pay-as-you-feel cafe, using food intercepted from restaurants, supermarkets and suppliers before it was sent to landfill, offering hot and cold meals at three churches in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

However, director Michelle Hayes said when lockdown began and the cafes had to close, she immediately knew what she would do.

“Within two days I had switched over. I decided to close the cafes on the Monday and by Wednesday we had started the food distribution.

“I knew there would be lots of people needing food and people were panic-buying. I knew a lot of businesses would have to close really quickly and there would be a lot of food going to waste. Supermarkets were struggling with their ordering systems.

“We were able to get a lot of food and start delivering straight away.”

Although other organisations, such as the foodbank, were already set up to support families in need, Michelle knew there was still a gap for additional help. Where the foodbank supplies mostly tinned and dried food, Resurrected Bites uses perishable items such as fruit and vegetables, eggs, and bread.

Volunteers Sally and Richard sort through donations to make parcels of food for local families

It can also provide cooked meals thanks to a team of volunteers who turn some of the ingredients into complete dishes. Though Resurrected Bites never distributes food which is out of date or of poor quality, using it to make meals can extend its usable life.

After lockdown began, requests for help began to escalate quickly, largely through referrals from other organisations but in some cases direct from struggling families. With several months of activity now behind them, Michelle and her team have settled into a rhythm of deliveries each week.

Michelle knows demand is likely to rise again if more lockdown measures are put in place.

“We’ve got really busy again this week. I wanted to be running at capacity of 30 orders a day – but when you realise how much food that involves, it’s quite overwhelming. By Friday, you’re just hoping there’s enough food available for everyone who needs it.

“I’m expecting that demand is going to go up as more people get laid off. People who are waiting for Universal Credit to start, people who have been self-employed and their business has closed. Quite a few families whose kids have been sent home from school and families have to self-isolate, but can’t get a supermarket deliver for a few days.”

If she needs to increase capacity, the only option for Michelle is to source more food and other supplies. She could request more from charity supplier Fareshare, but demand is likely to increase everywhere and more deliveries may not be available.

The only other option would be to buy more in, which they have been doing as necessary – but that needs more money to be coming in as well. It already costs more than £4,000 each month to meet the existing demands for food and toiletries.

Read more:

• Charity Corner: The charity offering ‘New Beginnings’ for female survivors of domestic abuse
• Harrogate shops raise money with ‘Giraffle’ for food bank

Now, with Christmas looming, Michelle is keen to make it special for the families supported by Resurrected Bites and is calling on the community to help.

She’s asked each family to say what their children are interested in so supporters can buy something from the list, and can donate wrapping paper and sticky tape too. She added:

“Hopefully we’ll try and get the right kind of present to the right child so there’s something for everybody.”

Donations of food and toiletries can be made at drop-off points around Harrogate and Knaresborough. Financial donations are also welcome to help fund any extra supplies. Details of both, along with order forms for people needing support, can be found on the Resurrected Bites website.

Stray Kitchen is our monthly column all about food written by renowned local produce expert, food writer and chef, Stephanie Moon. Stephanie studied at Craven College, Skipton. She then did a work placement at London’s five-star hotel/restaurant, The Dorchester. Stephanie was offered a full-time job, where she worked for world-famous chef, Anton Mosimann. 

In the spirit of Autumn and Halloween, Stephanie’s first column will be talking about the delicious ways of using apples in various dishes.

I love this time of year. Our region has a real history with the Great British Apple. Did you know the Ribston Pippin was grown back in 1708 from apple pips which were sent to Henry Goodricke of Ribston Hall? This was the runner up of the Cox’s Orange Pippin.

In Little Ribston, there is still a Ribston Pippin tree growing in the grounds. Nick Smith, the Director of the Harrogate Flower Show, took me along to cook the apples under the tree years ago. This was filmed for Look North. I created my version of an 18th Century recipe ‘A Fraze of Pippins’ (basically a batter-like pancake, heavy on the spices with lots of apples). It was great fun.

Do you have an Apple glut?

My advice is to invest in an ‘apfelschaler’; a plastic contraption (you can get metal ones too) that peels an apple in seconds whilst you wind the handle. When you literally have kilos to peel it really helps.

The apfelschaler peeling an apple.

My Dad gets given boxes of apples and I help him to cook through an apple mountain (not even an exaggeration). We peel, cook the apples and place them in take away pots, lots of apple sauce, and freeze them. I now have a whole shelf of apple sauce in my freezer that is not mine.

Chutney made with apples is mind-blowingly good and great for Christmas gifts. If you make batches it becomes easy (just watch out for apple volcanos), then you cook the chutney as a hit with some boiling hot apple chutney will smart.

But perhaps you have no apples?

If you are lucky enough to look around villages surrounding Harrogate, they give them away for free by the side of the road. Local farm shops and fruit and vegetable shops have fruit racks that are groaning under the strain with every variety – much better than the supermarket fruits that can sometimes be months old.

Stephanie cooking.

There is always the plan to let someone else do the work. Nothing beats an Elite Meat pork and apple burger, a Taylor’s apple cinnamon tea or a Rosebud Preserves wild crab apple jelly.

Can you Adam and Eve it?

Till next time!

For more information on Stephanie Moon’s career in food click here.

Read More:

• Stray Foodie: Frances Atkins reviews the Grantham Arms, Boroughbridge
• Harrogate man cooks incredible 6,000 charity meals

An incredible Harrogate man who really stepped up to the plate has single handedly cooked more than 6,000 meals for charity since the start of the pandemic.

Paul Welch started by cooking meals for his daughters who both work in the NHS. But he wanted to help more people so partnered with Supporting Older People (SOP).

Those behind SOP were delighted to work with Paul. The small and local charity was able to use its connections and experience to distribute the meals to those most in need.

Kate Rogata, the director of SOP, told the Stray Ferret:

“There is a lot of hidden poverty in Harrogate. The coronavirus pandemic has really excacerbated the problem. For some people Paul’s meals have been a lifeline. It’s not just older people that we help but anyone who is vulnerable and in need of a helping hand.”

The Supporting Older People team celebrating with Paul Welch as he passed the 5,000 meal milestone. Photo: Ernesto Rogata

There is no sign of stopping for 58-year-old Paul who uses a wheelchair after a paragliding accident 20 years ago. He spends 10 hours every day preparing, cooking and freezing food.

He has recently been reinvigorated after a major donation of £10,000 from Techbuyer, which has its UK base in Harrogate. That money will help him cook many more meals.

Read more:

• Harrogate shops raise money with ‘Giraffle’ for food bank
• Charity offers ‘New Beginnings’ for survivors of domestic abuse

It will also go towards one of his new projects. With Christmas looking like it will be particularly difficult for many this year, he wants to cook a three course dinner for more than 250 people.

He said, on reaching his major milestone, that he has “been thrilled to help people, particularly older people, then it’s definitely worthwhile.”

Supporting Older People had to adapt at the start of the pandemic. Instead of its usual meet ups and home visits the charity had to move online and by phone.

The charity also used its network of volunteers, which has grown to 200 during the pandemic, to deliver free weekly Asda essential hampers.

It also hopes, in the next couple of weeks, to establish coronavirus secure afternoon tea for up to six people.

Mrs Rogata added that while telephone calls help with loneliness that many still miss meeting up with people face to face.

A new book unlike any you have seen before will light up the Library Gardens in Harrogate for this weekend only.

The light installation will shine bright as authors take to the digital stage for the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival.

As the sun sets the pages will turn and share well-known tales as well as the story of Harrogate.

The free exhibition will also feature ten-word stories from best-selling authors and Harrogate residents – the same as those that have been popping up around town on posters.

Read more:

• Harrogate International Festivals cuts more than half of jobs
• Writing on the wall ahead of Harrogate literature festival

The organisers Harrogate Festivals International say there will be plenty of room for watching the book and they will also ensure social distancing measures are followed.

Harrogate’s literature festival is now in its 12th year but will, like many events, be online due to social distancing requirements.

The festival will run from today until Sunday. It will be streamed on HIF Player on the Harrogate International Festivals’ website.

It comes at a difficult time for the organisation, which has been forced to cut more than half of its jobs.

Harrogate International Festivals said it made the cuts after missing out on an estimated £850,000 due to coronavirus. The arts charity, which was set up in 1966, now has just four staff remaining.

Pupils at Highfield Prep School in Harrogate have been competing for ‘eco-points’ by walking, cycling, and scooting to school as part of an initiative to improve the environment.

The school, which caters for children aged 4-11, organised the Move to School initiative this term to encourage children and their families not to travel to school by car.

The class with the most eco-points at the end of the term will win an eco-trophy.

Lizzie Fee, social media manager at Highfield, which is part of Harrogate Ladies College, said the scheme is about improving the children’s awareness of how their actions affect the world around them.

She said:

“This is a great way to encourage the children to become aware of their impact on their environment, and that everyone can make a difference no matter how small. It all helps!”

For families who travel by car from further afield, the school has encouraged parents to shorten their journeys and walk the remainder of the way.

Ms Fee added:

“We are very proud of the children’s commitment and enthusiasm to eco-initiatives and green activities and we will be promoting six Move to School weeks every term.”

Read more:

• Western Primary School urges council to tackle road fears
• Could cars be banned outside primary schools in Harrogate?

There is a national project gaining momentum called School Streets, which bans vehicles from outside school gates during pick-up and drop-off times.

The project aims to make streets near schools safer places for children, increase opportunities for them to walk or cycle and reduce their exposure to toxic air pollution.

School Streets was pioneered in the London borough of Hackney in 2017 and has since expanded across the country, including Yorkshire primary schools in Halifax, York, Leeds and Sheffield.

North Yorkshire County Council has not said it will introduce School Streets but its Open Harrogate project – which encourages active travel – said on Twitter the possibility was being explored.

A new Italian restaurant is opening in Harrogate tomorrow to serve up fresh pasta and speciality wines.

Pranzo Italian, at 31-33 Cold Bath Road, is the second restaurant from chef Marco Greco. He opened his first in Ilkley two and a half years ago.

Marco cooking up a mafalde with four-hour braised beef shin ragu.

This new Harrogate restaurant will be open every day from 12pm to 10pm except on Sundays when it will close at 6pm.

Although it has meat, fish and vegetarian options, Pranzo Harrogate does not have a large menu. It believes in serving a few dishes it can perfect.

Read more:

• Colourful charity crafts store opens in Harrogate
• Harrogate embraces coffee shop working culture

As the restaurant has a large kitchen space downstairs, the chefs will be able to make fresh pasta each and every day.

Marco Greco, on the eve of Pranzo Harrogate’s opening, told the Stray Ferret:

“I have been looking for a new place for about a year. I know it is not the best time to open a new business, it was a bit crazy. But we are already fully booked for the opening night so it is looking good and I think it will be worth it.”

Pranzo Harrogate is the new Italian restaurant on Cold Bath Road.

Pranzo Ilkley is rated as the number two restaurant in the town on TripAdvisor.

Mr Greco has Italian heritage, learned to cook with his grandmother and followed in the footsteps of his dad who also opened an Italian restaurant.

He worked in his dad’s restaurant as soon as he left school and always dreamed of opening his own place.

Pranzo Harrogate has space for 30 people inside the restaurant and a further 20 outside under current covid restrictions.

It has employed 10 staff and intends to recruit more in the future.

North Yorkshire County Council is extending temporary pedestrianisation measures in Harrogate and Knaresborough until next year.

Parking suspensions and road closures have become a familiar sight and the council confirmed today they will remain until at least January 31.

To improve the look of the scheme, traffic cones on Albert Street and James Street in Harrogate will make way for planters.

The planters will be funded by Harrogate Borough Council through the government’s £50m reopening high streets safely fund.

The two councils hope the move will reassure the public it is safe to shop in the towns.

Read more:

• James Street pedestrianisation looms amid ’empty shops’ warning
• County council postpones James Street pedestrianisation

However, some business owners on James Street have warned of empty shops to come if the county council persisted with pedestrianisation.

The county council said in response it had listened to those views and will keep the measures under review.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the executive member for access at the county council, said:

“We are committed to supporting the county’s recovery while ensuring people can visit shops safely and buy local. We hope that these measures are making shoppers feel confident to visit our high streets as we approach the Christmas shopping period.”

Cllr Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for carbon reduction and sustainability, said:

“Feedback from both businesses and visitors alike has been positive and I’m glad these measures have encouraged people back to the high street that it so desperately needs.”

Parking spaces between Princes Square and West Park on the A61 in Harrogate will be reopened, it was also announced.

The full list of measures in Harrogate:

• Albert Street – parking bays suspended
• Commercial Street – some parking bays suspended
• James Street – parking bays suspended
• Montpellier Hill – some parking bays suspended
• The Ginnel – closed between 5pm and 11pm Wednesday to Saturday and from 1pm to 11pm on Sundays

The full list of measures in Knaresborough:

• High Street – barriers in place to widen sections of footpath
• Market Place – closed on market day between 6am and 5pm on Wednesday
• Castlegate – partly closed on market day between 6am and 5pm on Wednesday

An organisation that combats fuel poverty in North Yorkshire has warned it expects a “huge rise” in referrals this winter, especially in the Harrogate district.

Warm and Well, which is a partnership project between public, private and voluntary sector organisations to reduce the the number of cold deaths, said referrals increased by 196% between July and the end of September compared to last year.

The Harrogate district was responsible for 28% of these referrals in what are usually the quietest months for Warm and Well, which believes the surge in referrals reflects the financial impact of the pandemic.

The organisation said in a statement it “expects a huge rise in referrals this winter as the financial effects of the coronavirus take hold across the region”.

Julia Priestnall, project coordinator for Warm and Well in North Yorkshire, said:

“Our specialist advisers are working very hard to reach out to vulnerable people who are really struggling across the region. As the furlough comes to an end and the inevitable rise in redundancies there is a perfect storm of fuel poverty gathering.

“We have managed to help families in rural areas with properties that are ‘off the grid’ heat their homes when they have had no one else to turn to.”

Project coordinator Julia Priestnall

Read more:

• Those struggling during the pandemic saw a decrease in their council tax bill. 
• Rural crime costs millions for North Yorkshire each year. 

Warm and Well, which is managed by Citizens Advice Mid-North Yorkshire and funded by North Yorkshire County Council, helps people deal with energy debt, switching suppliers or applying for emergency energy support.

Its #GearUpForWinter campaign focuses on fuel poverty within rural areas.

The organisation has visited parts of the Yorkshire Dales to help people keep their home warm during the colder season.

To refer yourself of someone you know to Warm and Well in North Yorkshire, click here.